As season one ended, I found myself invested in the characters of DOC. Now, as we enter season two, I am finding myself indifferent to them and I wonder what that means. I wonder if their character growth will be my downfall. Or maybe it’s that I am not sure that it’s growth. A part of me thinks that it’s just a complete 180 and another part of me thinks that we just didn’t get to know them. DOC Season 2, Episode 2, reinforced to me that I probably just didn’t know them at all.
I just have to start with saying that this is a we hate Joan account and we will be taking no questions on that.
Jake remains to be my favorite character and should be protected at all costs. Michael is also high up there on my favorite. Dr. Maitra is not so innocent and she drives me crazy. It’s like girl, find a hill and die on it. Gina may be the only female on this show that makes me not want to be like, the patriarchy obviously did a numver on you.
But that’s the thing about DOC, it will and can take you through the ups and downs of what life is and can be. DOC will make you twist and turn, but even when you get mad or think twice about what you are watching. And therefore even as I wondering about the show, I know that it’s good because even as I am indifferent, it still makes me invested.
RELATED: DOC Season 2, Episode 1 Review: Her Heart
SHE IS NOT…
Every single time there is a case on a procedural, I wonder what is going to happen. I need to know the who, what, when, where and why. As I try to guess what is happening, I never can. I never can because I don’t know medicine at all.
A woman on a bus won’t say who she is, where she came from, but is presenting pregnant. When Amy is called in for a consult, she does an ultrasound and she’s not pregnant. Blood results show she never was.
I can’t even imagine what it is like for a doctor to have to give bad news. This woman has manifested in her mind that she is pregnant and telling her that she’s not could do harm. Amy doesn’t know what to say or do, so she looks to Gina for advice.
When someone from the commune shows up, I knew that it was about to get insane. The lady, Anne, is trying to stop Meghan from getting a cat scan and tells her the radiation will harm the baby. Meghan refuses at that point and then Amy starts to remember that she has an attitude that can match Annes.
Gina and Amy working together to save Meghan and get her help was a beautiful thing. These two were besties and they have always had eachothers backs. What has to be frustrating for Gina is that she remembers everything.
Amy doesn’t.
The fact that the commune gave up on her because she wanted to get medical help – go back to the commune then.
Meghan getting her brother back in her life and how he was going to help her – that was the most beautiful thing.
RELATED: DOC Casting News: There Is A New Doctor Checking In To Westside
JOAN IS… EW
We get to meet Joan, played by Felicity Huffman. We also get to realize that we hate Joan and she can go away.
Joan is a doctor that likes to go where she is needed. She doesn’t like staying in one place. She likes to go where she is needed. That being said, she’s an incredibly smart doctor and is able to look outside the lines. She sees the patient as a whole versus as just the person from the questions that she asks them.
We get to see her show her interns the ropes and introduce them to Amy. She speaks of Amy so highly, the interns assure her that Joan loves her. Amy has an unblinding appreciation and love for Joan, but that is really misguided.
As soon as Joan sets foot on the internal medicine floor you can smell that she’s manipulative and has an angle. She’s planting thoughts everywhere she goes. Joan obviously never learned anything about loyalty because she has none.
At first I thought maybe she was going to be an ally that Amy needed. But ya, that’s not the angle we’re getting here. What we are getting is a woman that is only out for herself.
RELATED: DOC Releases Its Season 2 Trailer & It Is Drama Filled
AMY HAS A MEMORY
When Amy has flashes of memories, it is important. A lot of the time I don’t think that we’re going to get a memory solved, but what we do this episode is the reason why we (me) hate Joan.
We get the flashbacks of the memory – little pieces here and there. We see how mean Amy was to everyone around her. She was always exploding and she was pushing Michael away. It was so obvious that Amy needed help, but also that she was blaming Michael for Danny passing.
Amy was in the wrong.
She passes up on a date with Michael to go to dinner with Joan. Michael says to her that they need time together but then Amy tells him to plan things with a notice. Has she never heard of a surprise?
The bits and pieces of the memory that Amy is seeing through out the episode make no sense, and then sees Joan in that memory. Joan tells her that it is obvious what she has to do.
Shut your mouth Joan.
At the end of the episode we learn what Joan was telling Amy that she had to do. She told her that she had to leave Michael. This calculating and manipulative woman is the reason that Amy walked out instead of keep fighting? There is a special place in hell for you Joan.
MICHAEL IS ALWAYS THE FALL GUY
In the first episode of season 2, Michael had to make a very big decision. People being held hostage, he lied to get the heart. He was put in an impossible situation. And here we are and Michael is AGAIN, having to take the fall. I do understand that it is part of his job, but also he did what was best for everyone.
Dude from the board tells him that he should start his paternity leave now – as the board is looking for someone to blame. Michael is shocked and so am I.
Nora just gave birth – they haven’t even named their son yet. He’s supposed to be riding a high and he can’t even do that. We all know that he’s going to be terrified to be a Dad again after what happened to Danny.
For that – Michael has to let himself off the hook. He really just needs to be there for his wife and son. Anything else can wait.
Everyone wants to wish Michael the best, but the truth is, there is a lot of drama that he’s going to have to face at that hospital and a lot even going home. Nora asks him if he still loves Amy and rather than him admitting it he says “i love you and I am not going anywhere.”
Not an answer, though Nora accepts it as one.
Michael is going to be a good Dad. He’s always been one. He just needs to feel like he is. He’s going to be cautious and afraid. He’s going to make mistakes and he’s going to fail from time to time. But Michael doesn’t need to carry the world.
He’s just got to be there for his world – his wife and kids.
RELATED: FOX Confirms The Release Date For The Second Season Of DOC
TJ…
If there is one person that I felt like we didn’t get enough of last season – it was TJ. And then walking into this season and him being shot? Lord, let the man live! It’s definitely hard to see TJ be in that bed and knowing that he’s going to need a lot of help to heal.
He’s not going to be a good patient and is going to struggle. He’s lived his life on maximum speed and wanting to help everyone around him.
When he hears that it’s probably going to be a year of recovery – he tries to act really strong. He doesn’t want his Mom to worry and he refuses to believe that is his future. He’s been an Army Ranger and he’s always had the honor of helping others. Now him having to ask for help isn’t something that he’s prepared for. So, yes he’s a bad patient.
But so was Amy.
I think that one thing DOC does really well is they show that these doctors are learning everyday and are also having a hard time learning. It does show that it doesn’t matter how old you get – you will always be learning.
TJ falls when he tries to go to the bathroom by himself – after being told that he needs to ask for help. He explodes at the nurse trying to help him. It breaks my heart to see him like that. I think there are some characters that you realize that you want to succeed and thrive.
TJ is one of those characters for me.
JAKE & MAITRA
I love Jake. I don’t like Dr. Maitra, but I have to admit I found some redeeming qualities in her this episode. She may think that Amy is the worst, but Maitra is the worst in a different way. It’s just that she delivers her meanness in a different way.
But when Maitra and Jake were talking and she tries to apologize, I thought good on her. Then when he says that she was okay with him and Amy breaking up, but she tried. You can see that Jake is hurting and I hate that. But I like that Maitra makes him smile.
He needs a friend.
Dr. Maitra obviously has a crush and that’s okay. We all have crushes. I don’t think that her and Jake would be good together but I am also okay with rebound relationships – so I can live with it for a second. I just also don’t think he would be okay with the things that she says to Amy.
Look, when Maitra tells Amy that what happened in the hostage situation was her fault because of what she couldn’t remember – that was unfair. It was not her call to make. It was out of line. But when she tells Amy that she doesn’t belong – I think that was way out of line.
I do believe that a part of what Maitra said has to do with her liking Jake and wanting to protect him.
CHIEF
Michael – if you only knew who you had just hired as the Chief of Internal Medicine – you would be taking back so quick. It’s not to say that Joan isn’t a good doctor. She is. She just has an angle.
Joan always has an angle.
Michael wants to appoint the next Chief so that it can be a high for him. I think we can understand wanting a win. Wins are necessary in life and boost morale. He wants to feel like he’s done something right because everything keeps going wrong.
Joan had come to him about some people she had heard would be up for chief. She told him to hire the person that wasn’t asking for the job.
She was the one not asking.
He went to her and asked for a year. All of the sudden she was like three years, total autonomy, hire and fire… she went for everything. Michael gave it. What she asked for – she got.
And that is sad to me.
It’s sad because I feel like Michael was so rushed to get this done and he thought that he was doing something to leave everyone in the best space. It just really wasn’t. He thinks he’s giving it to someone deserving, but if he only knew that his life blew up even bigger than he knew.
JUST STOP
Amy doesn’t seem to get that she can’t keep expecting people to wait for her. When she is in the dressing room with Jake, she uses it as a chance to talk to him. Amy wants to have a relationship with Jake, and you can see he has a little bit of hope when she says that she has a memory.
But he knows that it’s not going to work the way it is. He love her. That love exists so deep and he has to let go of it. Jake has to find a way to do that and I hope he does.
He knows that if Nora wasn’t in the picture and she could go back to Michael she would. He asks her to stop this and I think that was hard for him to say.
Jake has always been open about his love for Amy. He’s wanted to be in a relationship that is based on mutual respect and love. He didn’t ask for all of these things to happen and it shows that you have to be prepared for anything that can happen.
Don’t think the worst will happen, but be prepared for what could happen. Then again, I don’t think that you coulda prepared for your girlfriend to loose eight years of memory and therefore forget your love.
That’s hard.
And its captivating television.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- Amy in the tank – I would have freaked out but good on her
- Joans interns are so funny to me
- Michael trying to balance stuff with Amy – that’s a lot for him to deal with. I feel like he’s trying to balance everything and it’s gonna backfire
- Man, past Amy was a cranky cranky woman
- TJ not telling his Mom that he’s scared – I feel like that isn’t fair for her
- Surgery to get rid of hiccups – didn’t know that was a thing
- The hiccup guy had a bunch of tattoos – but they were pretty
- Is being subtle really over rated? I don’t think so
- Can’t wait to see what Michael and Nora name their little one
- Jake with the take two tylenol and call myself – hahaha
DOC airs Tuesdays on Fox.
